Prisoners in their physical space need not be confined in their creative and emotional liberty. This is being proven by the female inmates of Tihar jail in Delhi who have turned into fashion designers for the entire cast of a film called Mark Sheet.

Revealing details the film’s leading man Imran Zahid says, “This is the first occasion that jail inmates will be designing costumes for a film, and we are very proud be part of this radical step towards rehabilitation. The Tihar authorities set up a fashion lab in 2017 for the female inmates and that’s how they learnt to design clothes. Our film’s designer Winkie Singh has got these talented women to make our clothes. We are very excited and happy.”

This unique experiment in rehabilitation comes at a time when the link between Bollywood and a social awakening is growing by the day. Says Imran, “We’ve seen how recent films like Pad Man and Toilet – Ek Prem Katha address social issues and bring about a reformatory impulse through cinema. Our films Mark Sheet is about leaked examination papers in Bihar. It is based on true facts. Having these talented ladies from Tihar jail as our creative partners is our good fortune.”